Skipper's Tragedy
by candysweets
Summary: When Skipper comes down with a deadly illness, it is up to the team, Marlene, and one little lemur to try and save him..but has fate already claimed his life? A spin off of "Penguin Madness." Rated T for safety.


**Authors note, please read first! _Haha, okay, does anyone remember my first POM story Penguin Madness? Well, this is sort of a spin off of that one, only... If you haven't read PM, I've written this one in a form that no one should really get lost, as the story will unfold and explain itself. Also, Rita, my OC will also make an appearance, only... I didn't really like the way I wrote her past, so I may re create her past to better fit this story... Sorry for any readers that were still reading Penguin Madness when I stopped writing!_ _I just couldn't_ _write the ending well enough to post in my opinion...sooo, to make up for it, I'm writing this spin off will most likely be short, depending on who reads and reviews it... Haha, reviews are partly my inspiration so please please PLEASE leave me some feedback. XD (I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes...as I tried super hard to revise this before posting.)  
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**Side note:**_ This story was partly inspired by the Author of "Funeral For a Friend" Whose name as slipped my mind... I'm so sorry! But anyways, that story actually brought me to tears, and I don't really cry easily when it comes to movies, books, ect... But this one did, and it gave me major inspiration to write this story. XD _**_  
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**Disclaimer:** I own nothing... All the characters and blah blah blah belong to SOMEONE ELSE! Well, that is, save my OC's. ;P So don't come running after me with some SUPER unnecessary angry mob just because I wrote a FANfiction... K? Yeah, that would be appreciated.

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><p>Skipper stood near latter of the Penguin's HQ, facing the wall. A slim young lemur with sleek, jet black fur stood behind him. She was younger than King Julien, yet despite her age, she seemed much braver than the self proclaimed lemur king. She sported a silver lip ring, and a studded piercing right above her right eye. She wore a plain black miniskirt, and a black cami with a skull with a pink bow on it's head, printed on the front to match.<p>

"Does she know yet?"

The lemurs voice was quiet, solemn. Her tail twitched, her ears lay flat against her head.

When the leader penguin didn't reply, the lemur cleared her throat a little in an attempt to gain his attention.

"Skipper..."

Finally, he whipped around to face her. The lemur stumbled backwards at the site of the penguin standing before her. This was not the Skipper she remembered...

This penguin's eyes were blood shot, and his feathers ruffled. Huge dark circles formed under and around his eyes. The lemur's own eyes slowly moved down to his flippers...

_No! This couldn't be Skipper... He wouldn't... Would he?_

Barely registering the horrific site before her, her paws flew to her mouth at once to suppress a scream.

"Wha... What did you do!"

She yelled. Instantly, the lemur felt the need to flee, but it felt as though her feet were glued to the ground.

"Rita... I'm ready to let go."

Skipper's voice sounded rugged, exhausted. Rita barely recognized it. Panic immediately lit up her eyes as her brain tried to process the meaning of the haunting words coming out of her close friend's beak.

"Wha-What are you talking about?"

Still in shock, that chilling was question all she could manage to stutter.

It was as if suddenly nothing made sense anymore. She wanted to cry...to scream...to _run_, yet her frozen nerves would not allow her to do anything aside from stand there, try to catch her breath, try to make some sort of sense out of what she had just witnessed.

At the sound of approaching footstep's, Rita instinctively whirled around to face the intruder. However, she instantly dropped her defensive pose the moment she realized who it was. Once again, panic invaded her shaken heart. Private was just a boy, and need not witness such a gruesome site, especially when he thought of Skipper not only as a father, but also his best and dearest friend. Seeing his mentor in such a graphic state would devastate him.

"Private!"

The lemur screamed, quickly running to shield his eyes.

"Private, uh, Skipper is...just a little hurt...nothing big, heh, but all the same I'm going to need you to run and fetch me the first aid kit, okay?"

"What's wrong with Skippa, Rita? Can't you help him?"

The youngest penguin asked with childish innocence glimmering in his concerned blue eyes.

"Isn't Marlene coming home today?"

The look in his eyes made Rita's heart melt.

"Um...yes, so we better make sure to clean him up before she see's and freaks out, okay?"

The little penguin nodded before waddling off to carry out the task he had been assigned. Rita signed, running a hand through the turf of short spiked fur on the top of her head. She raced back to Skipper, only to find him sitting on the cold ground clutching his chest with his two flippers. By this time, blood was quickly staining the white feathers on his chest and stomach. Rita folded her knees beneath her and knelt down beside him. Gently, she put a paw on his left flipper.

"Okay, now give me your flippers."

She demanded in a serious one.

Skipper refused to make eye contact, not wanting her to see the emptiness clouding his once bright blue eyes. Instead, he closed his tired eyes and breathed in a struggled sigh.

"What's the point? Why save me now?"

That sentence alone was all it took for fire to enter the lemurs eyes.

"Just. Do. It."

Rita growled through gritted teeth in a tone that was not to be argued with.

Skipper groaned a little in protest, yet he (reluctantly) held out his flippers all the same.

Seconds later, the tallest penguin, Kowalski, rushed in the room holding the first aid kit in his right flipper. He shot Rita a nasty glare.

"What were you thinking asking Private to do such a task? He's just a boy and couldn't handle... OH SWEET MAMA!"

He screamed when he caught a better view of Skipper's wrists, dripping gushes of crimson onto Rita's black fur.

"I Don't know Kowalski, I doubt he would have screamed like a girl."

She rolled her eyes, snatched the white box from Kowalski's trembling flippers. However, the moment she looked down, this time, she did not suppress a scream. Somehow, without her knowledge, in the seconds it took to glance up at Kowalski, Skipper's neck had been sliced, and blood pored from the gaping whole in his skin down to the concrete ground. Soon, he and Rita were surrounded by a pool of Skipper's own blood.

" Kowalski! Private! Rico! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

She screamed in horror, her mind reeling. Rita's eyes frantically darted around the room, only to finally land upon the mutilated bodies of the other three penguins previously living in the habitat...

The lemur's stomach twisted at the gruesome site, though no wave of nausea occurred. She had seen the site of blood before.. she was no stranger to the horrors of wars and bloodshed, so instead, she felt herself frantically gasping for air.

_Murder at the Central Park Zoo?_

The lemur shook her head in utter disbelief But why...? How...?_ Who?_

Rita's ears twitched in alarm as harsh footsteps sounded nearby. She leaped up from where she was standing and whipped out a pistol from it's holster around her waste.

"Show yourself!"

She growled out in a mixture of anger and panic. The paw holding the gun trembled ever so slightly. She wasn't exactly sure why or how she had even obtained this weapon. Aside from video games, Rita had never held a real pistol before, let alone shot one, but somehow, as if by some kind of magic, her fingers found their way to the trigger.

"You remember me, Rita... I will always be with you. You can't forget... I don't let you. And now... You have watched your family _die._"

"NO!"

Her finger pressed down on the trigger as hard as possible, but nothing happened.

"You can't escape me, Rita... Try all you want."

This time, she pulled a knife from her pocket and hurled it towards the hooded figures chest, yet somehow, the knife disappeared through the transparent figure, and impaled the wall behind it instead.

The lemurs eyes widened to saucers.

"Ge-Get away from me!"

She backed up, closing the space between herself and the wall behind her. Only longing to get as far away from this figure as possible, Rita pressed against the concrete as hard as she could.

"You-You killed them..."

She choked out between broken sobs. Her eyes darted around for some form of escape, but saw none.

"That's not all, Rita..."

The figure waved it's arms in the air, and bodies of different animals began falling from the ceiling.

"No, please...make it stop! NO!"

777777

"NOOOO!"

Rita jerked away in a cold sweat, panting heavily. She surveyed her surroundings. She was no longer in the penguin's HQ, and there were no signs of blood or dead bodies anywhere she looked.

W_ell, that's a good sign._

She was back at the lemur habitat, laying beside the sleeping trio of male lemurs. King Julien, Mort, and Maurice were all snoring beside her on the lemurs green bouncy house, undisturbed by the screaming caused by her nightmare. She took a short moment to realize just how awkward this must have looked to any observers in the zoo... 3 male lemurs, and one female.

Rita glanced at the sky, hoping against hope that the welcoming rays of the warm sun would be coming to greet her soon. She had always hated the night, and the idea of sleep. She didn't dream often, but when she did, it always seemed to be nightmares.

"Only blackness... Of course."

She muttered under her breath, annoyed.

"Oh well, at least no one heard the scream..."

Rita murmured half heatedly. Apart of herself, the part she hated, secretly wished someone _did _ care enough to hear her screaming...

"Guess again, lemur."

A familiar voice made the little lemur jump, though a relieved smile lit her face once she realized who it belonged too.

"Oh my gosh, Skipper, it's only you!"

She shrieked, gave him a gentle slap across the face, not unlike the way she would always see him slap his 'soldiers.'

"Don't do that again!"

She paused, before attempting to slap him again. This time however, Skipper was ready. He wound up catching her arm in mid air.

"Relax, little lemur, nothin's out there. Plus, aren't you excited? Today _is _your birthday, after all..."

He let go of her arm, and flashed a smile.

Skipper had taken the time to mentally note the fact that midnight had marked Rita's 18h birthday. She had grown a little above Mort's height, he noticed, and she had filled out enough to appear healthy, though she still sported the same thin figure as before.

A few years back, she had taking a liking to the color of her fur, and had asked Private to sew her some cloths to match it, which is how she got the black skirt and cami she was wearing then. The human's didn't seem to mind, either. If anything, the bizarre lemur's outfit's would only serve to draw more positive attention from the already excited crowds that would come to visit the zoo on a daily basis.

King Julien was even jealous of Rita's outfits, and demanded that Private make him one at once, but with more color. He did so with a small giggle, and the pompous self proclaimed lemur King sported them around for 2 whole months before Rita and Maurice grew bored of the joke, and eventually told King Julien what he really looked like in the Hawaiian -style blue and pink dresses. It didn't phase him however, as long as he looked like a 'pretty lady.'

He was broken out of thought when Rita let out a sad sigh.

"Well, you would think so...wouldn't you?"

Skipper arched an eyebrow, a little confused at her odd behavior concerning a time that was by all means, supposed to be a happy time...when your young at least, he added as an after thought.

"Well, yes... I'm also interested in knowing why you screamed. Kowalski and Rico are scoping out the place as we speak. Now, what seems to be the disturbance, Rita? Why the ear shattering..piercing...agonizing screaming?"

The lemur bit her lip.

"I, uh... Had a nightmare."

Skipper glared at her, annoyed.

"A nightmare? There's no danger? You woke us up in the middle of the night..for a nightmare? Seriously, lemur?"

Suddenly Rico popped up beside him and began laughing hysterically. Rita shot him a death glare.

"Ya better shut up, before I _make _you shut up!"

This didn't seem to phase Rico however, instead it only seemed to fuel his humor. The maniac clutched his large gut in a fit of laughter.

Fuming, Rita tackled the bulky penguin to the ground and began rustling him on the grass surrounding the lemur habitat.

"Actually Skipper, the effects of unpleasant images in your sub conscience mind can be quit traumatizing, and may induce screaming." The scientist popped up beside Skipper and explained in his usual monotone voice. The leader merely nodded thoughtfully. Although he didn't let on, his head had been killing him all night, the reason for the edge to his tone.

"Alright children, break it up."

He leaped down to grab the two. He caught Rita's paw and Rico's flipper fairly easily, though a sudden stabbing pain forced him to let go of them and clutch his stomach.

Rico and Rita stopped fighting at once and exchanged worried looks. Kowalski instantly pushed them aside and rushed to his friends side.

"Skipper! Are you alright?"

Rita glared at the tall penguin.

"That is no way to treat a-"

"Can it lemur, can't you see there is something seriously wrong with Skipper?"

The two were slightly taken aback by the acid in his tone. Did Kowalski know something they didn't?

"Skipper...you okay?"

Rita asked uneasily. She placed a gently paw on his back, and allowed him to lean against her shoulder for support. Skipper breathed heavily, trying to gasp for breath.

"I-I'm fine, really..,"

Kowalski eyed him, carefully studying his leader's facial feature for any signs of a lie.

"Come on Skipp, the word 'lying' might as well be printed across your forehead."

Rita verbally stated the scientist's quiet thoughts exactly. Grant it, in slightly different wording than he would have used, but still... It was evident that Skipper was lying, as usual when it came to pain of any sort, and that fact alone frustrated Kowalski more than anything about the leader.

"Skippa... What's the matter?"

Everyone turned their attention to a small, innocent voice coming from behind them.

"Private! Wha-What did I tell you about staying in bed?"

Skipper rep-remanded Private as if he were his own child, caught red handed with his hand..err, flipper, in this case, caught in the cookie jar. Private looked down, guilt filling his stomach like poison. He hated disobeying anything Skipper would instruct him to do, but he felt this time it was necessary.

"So sorry Skippa, for disobeying orders, but um... There's something wrong with Ruby. She woke up crying, and I can't seem to get her to stop."

"Ruby?'

Rita raised a confused eyebrow in which Rico simply responded with an odd noise. Rising his eye brows up and down, he flashed her a grin.

"Ooh la la!"

This is the moment the small lemur teen finally turned and caught site of the object laying in Private's flippers. A tiny baby otter restlessly tossed and turned, whimpering, crying, and beating Private's chest with it's even smaller black paws.

"Woah.. Who's kid?"

When the only reply she received was awkward silence, nervous stares, and an uncomfortable clearing of someone's dry throat, Rita finally pieced the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Wait... You..."

She whipped around to point at Skipper's chest.

"And Marlene... You guys have a kid? No way! I totally thought if you two ever had kid's the poor things would turn out to be ugly little mutant Shrek type babies, but hey, look... I was wrong!"

"I thought I made it clear that, that information was actually supposed to remain, Private, _Private, _until farther notice..."

Having regained his breath, Skipper shot young Private a death glare. Private flinched under the harsh glare, feeling terrible for having disappointed his leader and the only fatherly figure in his life that he ever truly had. He hung his head in shame for what he had done. Even if the crime was unintentional, Private had a feeling that wouldn't matter to Skipper, so therefore it wouldn't matter to him either.

He should have kept Skipper's secret hidden like he had promised...

"I-I'm sorry, Skippa... I.. I just..."

Private's bottom lip trembled.

Rita rolled her eyes. Feeling bad for Private and a new found fire for the way the leader had treated him. She turned abruptly and slapped Skipper across the face. It would be the second time in the same night.

The three other penguin's mouths dropped to the ground, completely in shock of Rita's foolish bravery. Private shielded the baby otter's eyes with one flipper, and his own with the other.

"I can't watch..." Kowalski muttered, turning away. He knew from the look on Skipper's face that this time, he was mad.

"Uh oh..." Rico followed suit, and for good reason.

Skipper was absolutely _fuming _with rage, mostly due to how terrible he had began to feel.

"Lemur, so help me..."

But he never got the chance to finish that sentence as it seemed his sudden anger had caused another wave of pain to overtake his full belly.

"Ah!"

The penguin cried out, stumbled backwards, and landed directly in someone's arms. Blinking weakly, he found himself staring up into the panicked face of Rita. She had caught him...right after she slapped him across the face as hard as she possibly could? What was with this kid? He shook his head, however it only seemed to cause a wave of dizziness to overtake him.

"I didn't mean to slap you that hard, good grief, I'm sorry! Are you okay, Skippy?"

He struggled to open his beak to speak.

"Just fine...ne-ever...been...better...ohh.."

He could no longer hide the groan as the pain began to increase.

"Skippa, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Private asked in a panicked concern. Right about the same moment, Ruby began to cry harder from her place, cradled in his flippers.

"Probably...just some bad fish... Don't worry, I'll be fine by morning... Private, take little Ruby home, please... I don't want her to have to see me like this."

Skipper managed out weakly in Rita's tight, yet gentle grip. He could feel the lemur trembling against him, trying her best to attempt to stay calm. Clearly, she was terrified. Skipper briefly wondered if the incident had triggered some sort of terrible memory the young lemur had tried her best to forget, and had maybe done so for awhile, and this dramatic scene had somehow resurfaced it.

"But Skippa..."

The sound of Private's worried voice snapped him out of thought.

"Just do it Private, that's an order."

Skipper snapped, regretting those words almost instantly. His heart broke in two when he saw Private flinch. He had no idea what had made him snap like that... He blamed it on the pain of food poisoning. Or at least, this is the self diagnosis he reasoned in his mind.

"Ye-Yes Sir..."

Private's voice sounded small as he quickly turned and raced out of the lemur habitat with little Ruby in tight grasp.

Skipper signed. Hurting Private was about the last thing he had wanted to do, and he had done just that. He mentally kicked himself.

"Rico, Kowalski, look after him... I'll catch up..."

Not wanting to upset their leader, the two silently did as they were told, leaving Skipper alone in the lemur habitat.


End file.
